Ask any teacher, and they’ll say the same thing: the job is rewarding – especially when you know you’ve made an impact. The challenge? Knowing exactly when that moment happens.
There’s no flashing sign or cartoon lightbulb to let you know you’ve reached a student. It’s subtle. It’s quiet. And sometimes, you don’t realize it until much later.
At Consolidated Credit, part of my title is Director of Education. Yet like any teacher, I don’t always know when I’m reaching someone. Yesterday was one of those wonderful times.
Yearning for learning
Consolidated Credit loves to interview clients. First, we want to know how we can do better. Second, we like to brag. (I admit it, I want everyone to know how much we help people.)
You can read any of our dozens of personal debt stories, and we’re adding new ones all the time. Yesterday, I spoke with Marc Terameau from Maryland, who’s been a client since Fall 2024. But he didn’t want to talk about how much he’s saving with Consolidated Credit. He wanted to talk about how much he’s learning.
“As far as I am concerned, the most important feature is the Financial Education Center,” Marc told me. “I can delve into my credit issues and begin to resolve them. Like so many others, I wasn’t formally taught anything about financial literacy. I had no idea after I received my very first credit card that it came with great responsibility. I was completely unaware that credit could be a helpful tool or a disaster. I knew nothing about credit bureau reports, FICO scores, budgeting and debt-to-income ratio.”
Marc says he fell into credit card debt because he just never knew the dangers.
“Here in America, financial literacy isn’t taught unless you go seek it out,” he says. “Now, after decades of reckless credit card spending, I know now how important it is to be a good steward of using credit.”
Calling Consolidated Credit
Marc’s words meant even more to me when I discovered he had previously gone to another company seeking debt relief. He didn’t like it there. For starters, he could seldom speak to a counselor.
“I’m old school, I don’t like the emails and the chats,” he says. “I like to speak to somebody. In the past, when I called the other company, you’re on hold with horrible music. Not so with Consolidated Credit. Someone came on the line right away, and we had a real conversation about my real-life situation. By the time I hung up, I was like, I’m dealing with friends. I felt comfortable.”
The other reason he switched to Consolidated Credit was the education that was lacking at the other place.
“It really is a game changer,” he says. “It literally gave me hope that all is not lost! It outlines everything in a step-by-step process as to how to create a budget, noting your expenses, how to even find more money in your budget! If you don’t know what your expenses are, there’s even a budget analyzer that lists the various expenses a typical household has. All of this was amazing to me.”
Free and invaluable
It’s amazing to me, too! All of at Consolidated Credit work hard on articles, videos, webinars, infographics, and personal finance books that teach financial literacy. But we don’t often hear how it helps people. Marc Terameau ended our conversation by thanking me, but I thanked him, too.
I urge you to check out our website for any information you need. Of course, we’d love you to call one of our certified credit counselors, but if you get what you need from our financial education, well, you’ll make my day, too.
